About Us
The Smiths
Zion Farm is owned and managed by Alan & Frankie Smith along with their youngest daughter, Jessie Smith Wiley. The farm is made up of 55 acres and currently consists of 5 Norwegian Fjords, 1 Friesian, 3 dogs, 1 cat, chickens, guineas, and quite a few Hostein cows used at the Smith Dairy Farm located 2 miles from Zion Farm.
Zion Farm's Brief History of Horses
The Smith family first got into horses in December, 1990 when Alan and Frankie bought "Jake", a Quarter Horse gelding. After Jake proved to be unsafe for the Smith children to learn to ride on, he was sold. Alan and Frankie then purchased an 16 year old bay Arabian mare named Farrah who was stubborn and not very pretty to look at, but she was safe and took great care of the children. Over the next several years, the family added more Arabian horses to the herd and had some foals born. In 2001, the Smiths looked into doing some crossbreeding with their Arabians. After doing some research, they chose to breed 2 of their Arabian mares- one to the Andalusian stallion, Postinero VIII and the other to the Friesian stallion, Daen 286. The Smiths received a colt (Andalusian cross) and a filly (Friesian cross) the following year and while both were spectacular, the Friesian cross really stole their hearts with her coal black coat and docile yet powerful & majestic presence. This was the very beginning of the families' "Friesian Fever", and they decided to slowly dwindle their Arabian herd down in hopes of replacing them with purebred Friesians. The Andalusian cross colt was gelded and sold as a 5 year old to a lovely young lady who is now competing with him in dressage and jumping. The Friesian cross filly matured into an exquisite mare and although it was a tough decision, the Smith's sold her to a show facility in New Hampshire where she is now also owned by a young lady who is showing her. In 2007, Frankie and her youngest daughter, Jessie, were introduced to Norwegian Fjord horses by Lee Hardin. Frankie fell in love with Lee's Fjords and told her to be on the look out for one. About two years later in the Spring of 2009, Lee contacted Jessie about a Fjord mare owned by Brian Jacobsen that sounded perfect. In a week's time, OH Hanna became the first Fjord of Zion Farm. Just 2 months later, the Smith's added a Friesian to the farm, a beautiful 2007 filly, Zephinia fan Old Mill (Teade x Bendert). In the Spring of 2010, Zion Farm aquired 2 more Fjord mares, Sonja FBA-10185 and NFR Silja. Then in June of 2011, DC Bayshore Bjorgard, a 2009 Fjord stallion became a member of Zion Farm.
What We Enjoy at Zion Farm
At Zion Farm, we enjoy riding, driving, and spending time with each of our horses. Our goal is to breed quality NFHR Norwegian Fjord and FPS/FHANA Friesian horses that display the breeds versatility and temperament that we fell in love with.
We use natural horsemanship methods with our ground/under saddle training. Zion Farm hosts several natural horsemanship clinics per year with trainer Robbie Potter and also driving clinics with trainer Curtis Pierce. Please visit Clinics/Events to find out when our next clinic is scheduled. We would love to have you join us!
